I always like to be inspired by something before I start these blog posts. Usually something throughout the day sparks my interest about writing. Today it started with a simple wave of gratitude from a complete stranger.

On my way to work today I was riding in the slow lane when a tiny gold car put their blinker on to get into my lane. The cars in front of me were playing the “pace the car next to you” game and wouldn’t let him over. So I slowed down, let him in, and in return I received the biggest smile and the friendliest wave.

It got me thinking, here we are, all living our separate lives, driving in our separate cars, living in different cities, and every day we move along in our parallel paths, and would never know the person traveling next to us unless the universe causes our paths to cross, intercept, or somehow intertwine. Oh the tangled webs we weave, this is most often referenced as something negative, but if our paths remain parallel, and our webs remain un-weaved, how will we ever know what, or who, we are missing in the lane right next to us?

I want to encourage you to be that something that happens. Smile, wave, and let the car no one is acknowledging slide in front of you, even when you’re in a hurry. Laugh, make a joke, talk to someone you’ve seen before but never actually met, ask someone how their day was or just use the simple wave that inspired my day today. Anything to cross the paths has the potential to change that person’s path one day, lead your path to a new destination, or just begin to weave the web to give yourself, and those in the car next to you, the opportunity to intertwine and become inspired.